Spanish police have announced the extraordinary recovery of two 100-year-old drawings by the renowned surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, that were stolen during a burglary in Barcelona last year.
The police revealed that they had arrested three brothers in their 50s, and also seized the Dalí drawings that were created in 1922 for a book called "Les Gràcies de l'Empordà" at the request of the author, Pere Coromines.
The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, which holds the rights to the artist's works, authenticated the two drawings, which are dark rural sceneries drawn on brown paper.
Police also seized other valuable artworks, including graphic works believed to be by the Spanish artist Joan Miró, luxury watches, and valuable coins and banknotes.
The Catalan police allege that the three brothers specifically targeted homes in the Barcelona region with art works and collections of coins and other valuable antiquities.
Two other individuals were also detained for receiving stolen goods, and all five suspects are currently awaiting trial, with the alleged burglars released on bail ahead of their trial.
Along with the two Dalí drawings and five Mirós that are still undergoing authentication checks, the police seized two works by painter Paco Sola, 55 luxury watches, silver and golden pens, jewels, and several collections of coins and banknotes from different times and countries.
The current owners of the two Dalí's happen to be the descendants of Catalan lawyer, writer and politician Pere Coromines, who shared a friendship with Salvador Dali's father. Intriguingly, it was Pere Coromines who commissioned the drawings from the young artist who was 19-years-old at the time.